Blood that Binds
by Wammu
Summary: This story will mostly focus on Lincoln and Lynn and how their sometimes antagonistic relationship develops in the very hard times that the Louds face in the years 2018 - 2026. How will gang violence, economic collapse and several personal tragedies effect the Loud house? Rated M for violence, language and racism.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

In 2025, according to the American Community Survey, 61% of the population in Genesee County, Michigan under the age of 18 lived under the poverty line as well as about of 34% of families.

In 2024, Detroit couldn't use the water from Detroit Lake anymore due to Chromium 6 and Lead poisoning and the price for clean water rose 220% compared to the previous year, which nobody could afford.

This was followed by a mass exodus of Detroit residents into the surrounding suburbs, turning the once 20th wealthiest county in the US into a hub for homeless.

The result was the largest, what the media dubbed 'white flight' ever in Michigan.

The election of Bernie Sanders 2024 as president of the US, taking office from Nancy Pelosi who was voted in after both Pres. Donald J. Trump and Pres. Mike Pence were impeached for alleged collusion, resulted in protest turned street riots in red states that got cracked down by increasingly militarised police forces causing sanctions form various Ex-EU countries as well as Russia and China.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Ellis Island Immigration Center, July 1896**

Twenty thousand people in one great hall. It was amazing that he hadn't already gone deaf.

"Next!", he called and took an new empty form from the pile on his desk, a blank slate if you will.

The new candidate was a young man in tidy but old, well-worn clothes.

"You are from the Sicilia too, am I right?", he asked referring to the ship that had arrived this morning. His translator, Tim, asked the question in german.

"Ja", was the answer.

 _Okay_ , he quickly scribbled the name of the ship while already asking the next question, _two minutes was too goddamn few_. "Age?"

Tim and the new arrival exchanged a few wild sounding words. "Eighteen"

"Okay, Name? First name, surname."

Tim asked in german.

"Lukas Laut.", came the answer from the boy.

"Lukas Laut.", Tim repeated for him, but he had already scribbled down the name: _Lucas Loud_.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Royal Woods, August 2021**

"Come in, Nose Bleeder, Road Tripper here."

A short silence. Lincoln used it to stare at the ceiling of his room. He was laying on his bed in his white undies, like every afternoon since he could remember.

Lincoln was a fourteen year old boy, struggling with puberty. In the last year he had had an incredible growth spurt that left him feeling lanky and awkward. A month ago he noticed a few hairs on his upper lip and to nobodies surprise, just like the hair on his head, they were white. _Life comes at you fast._

Lincoln positioned his Walkie-Talkie to his face again. "Come in, Nose Bleed-"

"I haven't had a nosebleed since we started Middle school, you know." Came the Clyde's voice with static cracking out of the old Radio. After a short pause he added. "Over."

"I know." Lincoln hesitated. "How is Operation Red-Leaf going? Over." Lincoln asked. He could feel the melancholy in his own voice.

"Fine", A statically distorted sigh. "My dads have everything planned into perfection. Timetables have been made. Over."

"Is any time planned for…" _me?_ "A final Clincoln McCloud. Over"

"You know buddy, it isn't final. I am right on the other side of the lake. Over."

"I know, its just… I don't think we can afford hauling Vanzilla over the border that often. Not after… Over" Lincoln got up into a sitting position staring at his bare feet.

Clyde picked up on the unspoken words. "Dr. Lopez always tells me that… I don't know anymore. I almost didn't see her in two months, can you believe that? Over."

"Well, one more reason for you to come back every month." Lincoln laughed half-heartedly. "Over."

"I don't know Lincoln, when Summer break ends I will be pretty busy with school, you know how bad I am at Math. Last year I almost failed. My dads are still worried and… Over."

"Maybe I should move to Canada too. Over" _Like that is gonna happen, Lincoln. You know we can't afford it._

"Oh, hey, Lincoln? My dads are calling me. We are leaving at 4 p.m. You are coming? Over."

"Roger, Over."

"Okay see you. Over and Out."

Lincoln switched the Walkie Talkie off and let himself slowly fall onto his back. Staring at the ceiling again. He had an empty pit in his stomach at that wasn't just because this month was tight. High school would start in a month. He'd be alone, well he'd still have Liam and Zack and Rusty, but hanging around with those dorks was probably going to become a huge headache. The constant teasing in middle school had already been headache enough. Clyde being a black adoptive son of two homosexuals made him a great target for bullies, _Hah! Your dad gay!,_ but at least they stood up to the bullies together. _You're the man with the the plan! Come on!_ But there was really nothing he could do about it.

A hollow bonking noise above let his eyes immediately dart to the vent in his ceiling. _Was Lucy spying again? She was really getting to big for those vents._ Everyday now the Vent System could come crashing down and reveal all the stuff that his younger sister hid up in there.

Somebody knocked on his door and without asking for a answer his sister Lynn pushed the door open. She was two years older than Lincoln but only a bit taller. She was wearing her auburn hair in a ponytail and a number 1 Jersey like she always did. She had a baseball glove on her right hand and she also had an awkward-sad look on her freckled face.

"Did Lucy just tell you too…" Lincoln started, placing the Walkie-Talkie on his bedside table.

"No", Lynn interrupted him, throwing a once upon a time white baseball from one hand to the other. "Well, yeah. But I thought maybe we could…" She waved around with her glove, the baseball clutched in it. _Sports, of course. What else?_

Lincoln sighed. "I really don't have any-" His voice cracked. Stupid puberty. "-Any time. I have to get ready." He stood up, wen't to his closet and started clawing through his clothes.

"Well, you know can, you know… always come talk with me, Linc?"

* * *

Three U-Haul trucks where standing around in front of Clyde's house. Old house. A few days prior the McBrides had already moved some stuff into their new house in Toronto.

Lincoln was wearing a grey hoodie and his washed out jeans. The mental note: _Do Laundry_ , was still floating around in his head.

"Lincoln!" Clyde stepped out behind one of the U-Haul trucks, a heavy looking brown cardboard box in his hands. Clyde had written 'Video Games' with black marker on it in his neat and tidy handwriting. "Wait a sec!", Clyde called and moved to lift the box into the van. "Uff!"

Clyde and Lincoln hand developed a special handshake that would put the 'Seven Miles Bloods' to shame. "Clincoln McCloud!", they both called at the end of the handshake.

"And, how is it going?" Lincoln asked.

"You know, my dads. They have endless amounts of stuff standing around the house."

"Oh my God! Lincoln!" Howard McBride, a pale and skinny, tall redhead who was always on the edge gave Lincoln a sudden hug. "I am really so sorry!" He grabbed Lincoln and Clyde by their shoulders constantly looking with his sad eyes from one of the other.

"Hi, Mr. McBride."

"I feel it is my fault for breaking you two apart! But the situation it is just… Ah, I am welling up!"

"Howie, breath.", The other Mr. McB, Harold, a short, stocky black man said, getting a handkerchief and handing it to his husband, who took and and dabbed the tears from his eyes. "Remember what Dr. Lopez said."

"I know, its just… "

"We are all not happy that this is happening", Harold said turning to Lincoln. "Trust me we would all rather stay in this lovely neighbourhood, and after all that you did for Clyde…"

"Ohm, heh… that really…", Lincoln mumbled slightly embarrassed.

Clyde sighed.

"We are really sorry to break, up your friendship like this… but we can still visit!" Harold tried his best to sound positive about it.

"Yes, Toronto is really nice, you should definitely visit. And if Clyde gets to tiered of the city we can always come back for a weekend!"

"Yes, that sounds great!", Lincoln said trying to sound confident.

"Ahh! Cleopawtra!" Harold yelled. Running to the porch.

"Can I help with the moving?", Lincoln asked.

"You would?", Howard asked putting away the handkerchief.

An hour later Lincoln was dripping with sweat. He really put it all into it, moving boxes and lamps and whatnot into the trucks, until even the burly movers told him to go slow. Now he felt silly. Like any effort of his could change anything.

The U-Haul trucks were already taking off and Howard and Harold were trying to fit the two cats, Cleopawtra and Nepurrtiti, inside of their pet carriers, into their grey-blue Volvo, leaving Lincoln and Clyde alone at the kerb.

"You know, you can still call me. And you have me on Discord.", Clyde said looking over to his dads struggling with the cats.

"Yes, its just, starting high school without you, buddy…", Lincoln replied.

"Yeah, that'd be fun."

A long pause. Both boys listened to Cleopawtra making a ruckus in her pet carrier.

"You know, I don't think we are coming back.", Clyde started, turning to Lincoln who squatted down on the kerb. "You - know how things have been going around here lately." He sat down besides Lincoln.

"I still have your copy of Anthem 3, you know."

"Anthem 3 is shit.", Clyde chuckled. "Why don't you bring it with you when you visit?"

"Yeah.", Lincoln sighed.

"Cylde, Lincoln! I really don't wanna do this, but we have to catch up with the moving trucks!", Harold called from the car.

Lincoln and Clyde stood up, patting the dirt of their asses.

"Yesterday, was great you know." Lincoln said. They had went to the arcade, afterwards to Spunk E. Pigeon's Pizza Palooza Paradise. Played some games at Clyde's. Almost the same day, as every day. But to Lincoln it was especially nice, because days like this wouldn't be the same again, ever.

"Clincoln McCloud?", Clyde asked offering his hand, ready to shake it down.

"Clincoln McCloud.", Lincoln said, ignoring the hand and taking his best friend into a hug. Clyde's fro was rough against his temple. "I am gonna miss you man."

"Same.", Clyde returned the hug.

"Ohoho! I can't take it." Howard sobbed from the car, his handkerchief back at his eyes.

The boys let go of each other.

"Take care."

"Yeah, take care." Clyde replied.

"Ohh, Lincoln! Take care of yourself!"

Clyde got in the car but not before waving at Lincoln one last time. And then they took off. _It was so fast._ Suddenly the McBride car was just a dot in the distance then the dot vanished.

Lincoln took a seat on the kerb again.

* * *

"Catch bro!"

Lincoln did. Having a sister like Lynn was sometimes a pain in the ass, and if you didn't want to get slammed by her or her sport equipment every other second, you had to git gud.

 _Grow, adapt, overcome,_ Lincoln thought, taking a look at the worn-out baseball in his hand. Thinking about what it would be like not having Clyde around. The sudden realisation hit him, that he would wake up tomorrow and Clyde just _wouldn't be there_. What should I do? _Grow, adapt, overcome._ He let out a depressed chuckle and tossed the ball back to Lynn who was standing in their front yard under the tree. It looked like she had been waiting for him.

"Hey, sis."

Lynn didn't give him a rest and immediately swung the baseball back at him. Lincoln managed to catch the ball again, before it hit him dead in the face.

"Lynn!", he exclaimed. Taking another look at the raggedy ball, he said teasingly: "I think i am keeping it."

"No you wouldn't!" Lynn took a few steps towards her younger brother.

"Oh, yes I would!" Lincoln tried to make a run for the front door of their run-down house, but to no avail, Lynn darting sideways and cutting him off.

After a few seconds feinting left and right, Lincoln gave up. "Here you can have it!" He tossed it in the direction of the backyard.

As always he had underestimated Lynn, the athletic teen catching the ball mid-air with her glove, coming down on her knees holding up her hand, like in some cheesy sports flick or like a 80's pop star after a performance.

"Ohhh, yeah! That was incredible!", Lynn exclaimed. "Number #1 baby!" She got up on her feet and was doing some very flamboyant poses from various anime. "You have nothing on me Stinkoln!" Despite her age, Lynn still acted like a hyperactive kid on sugar.

Lincoln just sighed and put his ass down at the base of the old oak that dominated their front yard. He watched Lynn pat herself on the back, his mind elsewhere. High school, a new frontier, trusting that Clyde would stand by his side while they made their way through it really made the thought of more boring and longer school days spiced with bullying bearable.

Lynn quickly noticed her brother being down. She planted herself next to him against the tree, interrupting Lincolns day-dreaming. Taking off her glove and tossing the baseball from one hand to the other, producing an irritating smacking noise, Lynn just sat there for a minute.

"So." Lynn started. "Clyde is gone.", she still didn't stop throwing her ball around.

"Yup.", Lincoln replied following the baseball with his eyes.

"Sucks, huh?"

Instead of answering Lincoln quickly snatched the ball away from his sister. Lynn let it happen. Lincoln just held the ball with a firm grasp by his side.

"Can't believe summer break is almost over." Lynn said, putting her head back into her neck.

"Can't wait to play with your team again?"

"Uhu.", Lynn murmured, not very enthusiastically.

 _That is unusual_ , Lincoln thought, _Normally she wouldn't be shutting up about finally getting to play for the high school league again_.

"You don't sound very happy.", Lincoln stated.

Lynn was quiet for a while, before finally answering: "Remember, that fight we had? I don't even know what it was about… you said… that I'd peak in high school."

"What, I never said…" Lincoln carefully scooted a bit away from his elder sister. _Did I really say that? Must be ages ago, I have a pretty good memory_. "Well, sorry. I didn't mean that."

"I start my last year of high school in two weeks.", Lynn continued ignoring Lincolns replies. "I don't know, I think you were right. That I am a, you know… one of those local high school athletes who get forgotten and work at, McDonalds or Burgerking. I…"

"Come on Lynn!", Lincoln said, despite feeling that here little breakdown rang quite close to home. _Uncertainty, is scary_. A terrible vision of uncertainty, all those possibilities, so many missteps to happen. "You still have your family! I mean, everything just half-bad." _Thats right, family stays_. He understand her concerns, however, thinking of his older sister Luna, how she didn't become a rockstar selling records all over the world, instead she jumped from one part time job to the other, jumping at the possibilities of a gig in even the most seediest of clubs. _Dreams don't always come true_.

Awkward silence. Talking with Lynn about feelings, about insecurity, was really strange. And that she initiated it, was even weirder.

A grey car was coming down the street. When it was almost at their house, Lynn suddenly spoke up: "Wanna play a game?"

Lincoln immediately knew what was up. " _No! No!_ ", he said moving away from his older sister.

"Auto attack!", Lynn exclaimed. The car passed and Lincoln got two very hard punches to his right shoulder. The tissue should be dead by know, living his whole live together with Lynn, but he still felt it. "Two for flinching!"

" _Ahh!_ Lynn!"

"Hey, guys. Dinner is ready." Luan, Lincolns and Lynns 17 year old sister, called form the porch, interrupting the fun game of 'Auto Attack' She was wearing her brown hair in a large ponytail, and still had her little yellow clown hat on. Since she finished school this year, she had been entertaining as a clown at children birthday parties all over town, much like she did while still in school, while also growing her comedy YouTube channel. " _Lettuce_ get a move on!", She laughed like it was funny, showing her enormous teeth, that looked even bigger without her braces. Suddenly turning dead serious she added: "No, seriously, I am starving." She disappeared inside of the house again.

Lynn and Lincoln slowly got up. Lynn collected her baseball glove and Lincoln gave her the ball. The made a move for the house.

"You know," Lincoln started, feeling really courageous today. "After Trannies are now allowed in the woman's league, they'd have no use for you anyway." Without even waiting for a reaction he ran for the porch as fast as he could. If Lynn catches him before he was in sight range of his parents, he was a dead man.

Something hard hit him in the back of his head, it was like somebody had thrown a right hook from just behind him. Lincoln let out a surprised cry and stumbled down to his knees a step away from the porch. A baseball rolled to the ground next to him. _I am a dead man_.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Royal Woods, July 2018**

Lincoln still couldn't believe he was alive. He was laying almost naked in a stretcher in a cool climatized white-green hospital room. He had been sprayed with cold water and was now a little shivery. An ECG was monitoring his heartbeat over some cables, it seemed stable.

A few minutes ago a nurse had checked on him. Lincoln felt the weakest he had ever been. That moment back at the beach was playing in a constant loop in his head: His head feeling light and his heart beating like crazy, the dizziness as he stumbled to the ground and the feeling of absolute powerlessness. _I am dying_. It was the only thing he could think. _I am dying. Dying._ There was no way he could change it, he would die at the beach in a laughable squirrel mascot-suit. Panic had flooded his system. _No! I don't wan't to die! No!_ He had tried to get up on his feet again, but he couldn't feel his legs anymore, they were like rubber. He landed face first in the sand. _I don't want to die!_

Even thinking about it made his heart beat faster. It was the most sickening feeling he had ever experienced. His memories ended with a face full of sand. The next thing he could remember were faces shouting and looking down to him, memories got blurry again, than him here getting a talk from an older Doctor who explained him that he had had a heatstroke and as a result had been in cardiac arrest. His heart had stopped beating.

The nurse had said that his family would be allowed to visit him in a short while. Lincoln hadn't felt anything when she told him. Not anger, neither joy. _I am alive_ , he thought. _For now. What more can I ask for?_

* * *

It was one of the most hottest summers since Lincoln could remember. The whole family was sweating in the garden by the plastic pool or in their rooms laying around next to a ventilator. Dad was sitting in the kitchen 'thinking up new recipes', but Lincoln would bet he hand't done a single thing besides moan every few minutes and get some ice-water.

Most of the family wasn't in front of the television, they said they couldn't concentrate or had headaches watching TV in this heat, but two just couldn't let this opportunity go to loss.

"This show is stupid.", Lynn exclaimed. She was leaning back against the couch looking at the TV-screen before her.

"Still better than your sports stuff. The half of it is commercials anyway.", Lincoln replied, annoyed that his sister interrupted 'Arrrgh!', his favourite show. 'Arrrgh!' was a dude investigating hauntings. Currently he was investigating an old witch house in Salem.

"Yeah, whatever. Spook.", Lynn huffed.

 _"I can sense this eerie atmosphere… And the instruments, they are showing activity in the west wing! This can't be good! Its coming this way… and getting faster! Arrrgh!"_

"You know, I am sorry.", Lynn said.

"Hmm." Lincoln didn't really listen.

"I am sorry."

 _"Oh, the ghost, I mean apparition is gone now! But I am sure it is still around here somewhere!"_

"You are what? Sorry?", Lincoln asked perplexed. Lincoln looked over too Lynn. She wasn't looking him in the eyes, instead focusing on the screen.

"For saying that you were bad luck.", she continued. Her palm almost covering her mouth when speaking. "And for… stuffing you in that squirrel suit."

Lincoln didn't say anything. Everybody including Lynn had apologised to him almost the entire last weak. It was somehow sad and uncomfortable to see his siblings and especially his parents squirm to get on his good side. He just hadn't felt good about it. Lynn was not really trying her to make him forgive her like the rest of his family had been doing, even though he still had the biggest crude against her from all of them for starting with this stupid luck thing, Lincoln was actually happy about it. It really didn't feel great that everybody had been so _considerate_ about him. _Am I actually surprised that my family is considerate towards me?_ , Lincoln had asked himself many times since he had been released form the hospital. It still made him feel weird, it didn't matter how often he tried to rationalise it. Though the only reason Lynn wasn't currently beating him for the remote was because of what he had been true.

"Arrhhhhh…", Dad moaned from the kitchen.

"Don't sweat it. Pun intended.", Lincoln finally replied. To his surprise a sour look crept on Lynn Jr.'s face as soon as he said it.

"What, you are just gonna pretend like it never happened?", she asked irritated, still not looking at Lincoln.

"No." What else could he say? _Yes?_ Sure forgetting about the whole thing was probably for the best, not that Lincoln cared anyway. Almost dying had really thrown him off. Priorities would never be the same.

"So then, what are you gonna do about it?"

 _What?_ Lynn was had grasped her elbows and still was stubbornly staring at the TV-screen.

"No-nothing?" That was a really strange question from Lynn. _What does she even have in mind I'd do? Where is she going with this?_ Lincoln was pretty baffled.

Lynn suddenly turned around, still grasping her elbows, looking straight out angry. "Don't you hate me?", she asked with a harsh tone.

Lynn had gotten Lincoln completely off guard with that question. His first instinct was shouting _No!_ , and he almost did it, but then a quite nagging voice slithered around in the back of his mind: _"Two for flinching!" "Get away from me you are bad luck!"_ That was just Lynn! _Yeah she is sometimes a little too rough, and she is a sore loser and a bad winner… but that… that is what makes her… her!_ Lincoln couldn't blame her for her sometimes mean spirited quirky behaviour, sometimes she was also nice and helping. _"When has that been the case?"_ The little voice in the back of Lincolns mind whispered deceitful.

"No.", Lincoln said sternly, looking directly Lynn. "I don't hate you."

Lynn didn't look too happy about what he said. She shifted around.

 _"Can you hear that? Bring the Spectro-mircophone over here! The haunting manifestation must be really near!"_

"Whatever.", Lynn finally said, turning back to the TV, still looking gloomy.

Lincoln thought he finally got Lynn's strange behaviour: she was really feeling not good about what she did, really uncomfortable about her starting the luck stuff, convincing the family that he was bad luck, getting him kicked out of the house and having his stuff sold, before finally stuffing him in that obnoxious fur suit. _She is really feeling bad and can't convey here feelings_ , Lincoln concluded. _Stupid meathead_ , he thought endearingly.

"Hey, why don't we switch to the Sport channel?" Lincoln exclaimed, reaching for the remote.

Lynn looked at her younger brother surprised.

Lincoln grinned and switched the channels.

Lynn huffed. "Whatever."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Royal Woods, October 2021**

It was a evening Saturday and Lincoln was up in his room at the end of the corridor, that had once been an empty closet, playing 'KEK' - short for Kingdom of Elves and Kobolds. He had his headset plugged in and was doing some banter with Clyde while both were grinding up in the game.

"The book club is really nice. There is this one girl a real cutie-pie. Really nerdy and stuff.", Clyde told Lincoln.

"Your type?", Lincoln asked while slaying an Orc.

"You know I love the nerdy girls. They are really dirty, you understand."

Lincoln forced out a perverse little chuckle. "I know what you mean. Also can you heal me?"

"Sure"

"So, who else is in this book club?" Lincoln asked absent-minded.

"Oh, yeah. There is Mike.", Clyde exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Mike?", suddenly Lincoln wasn't absent minded at all.

"And you know what?", Clyde continued. "He is a total Ace Savvy freak!"

Lincolns throat became very tight. His game character walked directly into an enemy.

"I just healed you man!"

"An Ace Savvy freak huh? He is really into it or what?"

"Oh, yeah, you should see his room. Man, everything Ace related that he could get his hands on."

Lincolns stomach was feeling very empty, despite dinner being only two hours ago. In front of his inner eye, Clyde was hanging out with this faceless Mike guy, chattering over Ace Savvy in the canteen and them both hanging around on weekends just like just two months ago he and Lincoln would do.

"You should really meet him. He is also into KEK. We should invite him into our clan."

"Sure. That'd be… cool." Lincoln managed to press out between his teeth.

Lincoln had already forgotten how sensitive Clyde was and how good he picked up on vibes, so it came to him like a gut punch when Clyde asked him: "And how is school doing for you?" Clyde had been asking the same question for months now every other time and Lincoln always came up with holfthruths or just cutting to the chase.

"Hey, Clyde… ähm, Lucy is asking for help with something, I think I have to stop for today. B-but why don't you, you know, invite Mike into the clan? I'll write you later."

"Yes, sure. Still as chaotic as every day in the loud house?"

"Thats the way it always is."

"Okay, I'll invite Mike. He is also a pretty high rank."

"Even better.", Lincoln replied. "I have to go off now. Bye."

"Bye, Lincoln."

"Bye."

Lucy didn't have any problems and wasn't asking him for help. She was probably sitting in her coffin-styled bed and writing down morbid poems. Lincoln took off his headset and closed his laptop. Looking down at his old Laptop, Lincoln came to the sudden realisation that he had been jealous at Clyde since summer had ended. Since the first week after summer and he had called Clyde. Since the first week after Fernandez and his friends had called him a 'gay nerd' and Clyde told him what a fun time he had in his first week. And Lincoln despised himself for his jealousy. _It is my own damn fault for being such a… meek faggot._ Where did everything go so wrong? Did it start when the 'Aloha Comrade' had to close and his dad had lost his job as a chef? Or, could it even have started way before: when Lori left to marry Bobby? _When did it all go to shit? Was it always like this, and was I just too dense to not notice it?_ It seemed to Lincoln that since Clyde had moved to Canada, he just noticed new bad things everyday. Money was tight and Dads new job as a dishwasher really wasn't that great. Luan and Luna were basically unemployed and college was a dream for everybody except for Lisa who could get by on scholarships. And school was hell. _Fuck those posers. You know what? Forget about it._ Lincoln had just opened up his laptop to distract his mind with some dull shooter game, when the blue light from the screen suddenly illuminated Lucy's pale face.

"Woah! Lucy!", Lincoln shouted leaping a feet back on his bed. "Why do you always have to sneak up on me? I almost had a heart attack."

"You look terrible.", Lucy replied in her melancholic, monotone voice. She was an Emo straight out of TV-Tropes. She had been dressing like one since forever it seemed to Lincoln and still with 11 she showed no signs of growing out of her phase.

"Y-you look terrible!", Lincoln retorted, feeling very conscious about his mild acne.

"Whatever.", Lucy huffed into her bangs, setting her black hair in slight motion. She remained silent.

"What do you want?", Lincoln asked. It came out harsher than he he intended to.

"Your help.", Lucy replied calmly.

"I don't need your-"

"Haa! You lied to Clyde!", Lucy exclaimed dryly with fake shock in her voice.

"No. No I didn't. Where you spying on me, again?" Lincoln felt like an ass, he did lie to Clyde just because he couldn't stand how happy he was. _I am a real dick._

"Well, then you help me!" Lucy completely ignored Lincolns question.

"Okay.", Lincoln sighed, his shame and guilty feelings getting the better of him. "With what do you need help, Luce?"

"I need help with helping you.", Lucy simply answered cryptically.

"Huh?"

Lucy sat herself on the bed facing Lincoln and before he could do anything about it she took his laptop and placed it under his bed. Lincoln cringed, but didn't say anything. _Hopefully she didn't put it on top of my 'socks'…_

"We are going to tell your fortune." Lucy said. "What Tarot deck do you want to use?"

"What the fuck!", Lincoln exclaimed in repulsion. Lucy was holding up a deck of cards with the top card showing a naked man with bloody pentagrams on his body standing next to a ghostly and twisted looking woman in white robes, torture devices in the background.

"Okay, no 'Sinister Tarot', for today." Lucy simply mumbled quickly swapping the satanic deck for a much nicer and dreamy looking one. "Crowley will have to do."

Totally enveloped in the preparation of the cards shuffled them like mad, before dropping them between her and her brother into an unorganised pile. Quickly she scooped them back up and shuffled the whole deck again. _Lucy really knows what she is doing._ An Image of Lucy working as a card dealer in Vegas, with a constant frown because of all the happy people winning money, popped into Lincolns head. He almost had to laugh. It died in his throat when Lucy jerked her head up, and looked him searchingly into his face.

"Because of your emotional compromised state, I will have to pick the cards for you." Lucy fanned the cards out in front of them. There were a lot of cards. They all had a brown back. "We will do the 'Celtic Cross'", Lucy continued. "You have to think of a question. An urgent question that is on your mind."

Lincoln tried to think of a question he'd like to know the answer to. Nothing. But everything. There were so many questions. _The future! Why did all of this shit happen? Why? What? How?_ It was just a giant mess in his head.

"Have you thought of an answer yet?"

"Yes?"

"Please tell me."

"What- is going to happen?"

Lucy stayed quite. It kinda freaked Lincoln out a bit.

"Okay.", Lucy continued. "I will draw 10 cards face down and place them face down." Lucy drew the first card. "This is it." She placed the card center in-between them both. 2nd card. "This crosses it." She placed the second card vertically across the first card. "What lies above." The third card was placed above the cross that the first two made. "What lies below." The card was placed below the crossing cards. "What lies behind." She placed the firth card to Lincolns right of the cross. "What lied before." The left side. Lucy then proceeded to place four drawn cards left of the now bigger cross in a straight line, meanwhile saying what they meant: "This is you.", "This is where it takes place.", "This is what you fear or hope.", "This is how it ends.", "Done."

It was really dark in the room and if Lincoln before had just made light of Lucy's obsession with the occult, it was suddenly much more. Her timbre voice as she said these important sounding phrases impressed Lincoln quite a bit. "And?", he even asked nervously. Gaining him a 'really?'-look from his younger goth sister.

"This is what your question was all about.", Lucy simply said, taking the first card she placed from under the card laying vertically onto of it an placing it face up. Lincoln leaned over to get a better look at it. It showed a turning wheel with a Sphinx on the top of the wheel. It said 'Luck'.

Lucy explained: "This is the most accurate answer to a question I have ever seen. You asked what was going to happen, and this card means fate. This represents the essence of the question itself."

Lincoln, entranced in the hypnotic artwork on the card, simply nodded. _What a coincidence._

Lucy flipped the card that was laid vertically on top of 'Luck'. She sharply inhaled. Lincoln read what was on the card: 'Sorrow', it showed three swords piercing a golden rose. "Three swords.", Lucy said with a soft voice. "Sorrow. I don't think I need to tell you the meaning of this. Clyde moving away…, the new school…, Dad losing-"

"I get it Luce.", Lincoln interrupted her. His mouth was getting increasingly dry.

Lucy was quite. "Lincoln-"

"What is the next one?", Lincoln simply asked.

Lucy sighed. "What is above", She explained while slowly flipping the card face-up. "What you consciously know you could do to resolve the situation or what you already know about about it. The two Disks?"

The artwork were one snek biting in its own tail while sliding around two Yin-Yangs. "What does it mean?", Lincoln asked excited. _What if everything this says is true?_ Could he dare take a peek at the future?

"Ähm- Change! It means that you know that you have to… change somethings to resolve your… ähm. Future.", Lucy nervously explained.

"Wow.", Lincoln said in amazement. "This is really friggin… mind blowing! The next one is the one down here?"

"Ah-papapa! No touching!" Lucy flipped the fourth card she placed. "This is is unconscious. Something that is very hard tow shake in your soul. It is the… Two of Cups?!" Lucy sounded surprised.

The artwork of the two cups showed a fountain pouring water into two goblets, at the bottom of the card it read: 'Love'.

"Love?" Lincoln asked also surprised.

"It actually really doesn't come to a big surprise…", Lucy admitted. "You are a really kind brother and… find friends everywhere!" _I wish that was the case_ , Lincoln thought, not without a good bit of self-loathing. "You are a really caring brother, - and person in general! But I think you don't really realise it yourself…"

"Maybe… I guess. I mean I am such a nice brother that I hanged up on Clyde to help out my little sis."

If you could have seen Lucy's face through her bangs, Lincoln was sure he would see her raise an eyebrow.

"We continue", Lucy said, reaching for the fifth card. "with your past. With whatever led you into your current situation." She flipped it. What looked like a mad Peter Pan grinned up at Lincoln. The name of the card was named: 'The Fool' "I don't think I'll have to explain tis either." She did anyway. "The 'Fool' represents the naive the new, optimism and idealism."

"Lucy, are you sure you aren't really some kind of real… witch? Because you are really scaring me."

"Thats what I have been trying to tell you guys for years.", Lucy replied with a grin on her pale lips.

"I had my suspicions, but know I know for sure."

Lucy was really smiling now. Her smile evaporated from her face as soon she flipped over the sixth card. 'The Future', if Lincoln could remember correctly. It was an eerie picture of a crowned skeleton with a giant scythe dancing over a dark field. Lincoln didn't need to read to understand what that card meant. Death. But something about it was strange: It faced the opposite direction than the other cards. It was on its head.

"Luce, why is it on its head?", Lincoln asked automatically.

Lucy's voice was heavy. "Death means a change: death of an old situation, birth of a new one. A better one. But cards on its head mean the opposite. Things will get much worse."

A chill ran down Lincolns back. "Stop shitting me Lucy. This isn't funny."

"I know it isn't."

Something overcame Lincoln, rage maybe? _The cards had been right… they had been so right… "_ Well, what about the rest? Come on!", Lincoln exclaimed a little bit too loud. He started flipping the straight line of cards up that Lucy had laid next to the disappointing cross. Her words echoing in his mind as he flipped each card over: _This is you_ The hermit, on his head _This is where it takes place_ Five disks, on its head: Worry _This is what you fear or hope_ Seven Disks, on its head: Failure _This is how it ends_ The lovers, not on their heads.

The lovers? What how did that make any sense? Lincoln wanted to ask Lucy but when he looked up to her, he was staring in the face of a wide eyed man with a light bared, a unrecognisable tattoo and feverish glimmering eyes. "Lincoln!", he panted with a dry, cracking voice. "It hurts so muuuch!" Blood was dripping over his chin. The strange man suddenly just fell back off of the feet end of Lincolns bed into pitch black darkness. Lucy was nowhere to be seen, and the cards- Lincoln looked down at the cards. Every single card had turned into 'Death'. Every card was on their head. The skeletons grins growing bigger by the second. A female voice suddenly screaming with absolute bone chilling hysteria into his right ear: "NO! LINCOLN!"

Lincoln woke up in cold sweat. His alarm clock blaring into his right ear.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Royal Woods, November 2021**

Liam and Rusty were avoiding Lincoln. It had started not to shortly after Lincoln became the target of Fernandez's crews jokes and pranks, and Zach had become the official bitch of the dominating class-clique. Liam and Rusty came up with all sorts of more or less believable excuses why they couldn't hang out with Lincoln, or sit together with him in the cafeteria. Lincoln was alone. It was really the first time he had felt this excluded from anything, he always had Clyde, his sisters, Liam and Rusty and Zach until now. It was a completely new feeling for him. He wished back the days where Ronnie Ann 'bullied' him, at least he had had the support of his friends and Ronnie Ann just had been teasing him in actuality.

It had started in the first week of the start of high school. Thinking back Lincoln realised that maybe it was because of him being down and depressed over Clyde moving away, if there was something Lincoln had learned over the past months was that these kinds of teens fed on the misery of others and sad and lonely kids were always the easiest target. Fernandez had acted like a big shot since the very first day: interrupting their homeroom teacher with sneers and half-funny remarks that would even make Luan cringe. A few kids even laughed at them, they apparently knew each other from middle school and already were a strong clique. Lincoln also knew people out of his new class from middle school: Zach, Girl Jordan as well as a few others he didn't really hang around with and Liam and Rusty were in his parallel class. But Liam and Rusty had jumped ship after a few times hanging with Lincoln in the cafeteria. And Lincoln couldn't be mad at them for it; cafeteria was the worst.

* * *

"Why so late again honey?", Lincolns Mom, Rita Loud, asked. She was in the living room trying to wipe motor oil from a struggling Lanas face as Lincoln trotted through the front door. "You look sad! Did anything happen? Lana, hold still!"

"I-i stayed a bit longer to ask Mr. Jefferson about homework and missed the bus. I walked the way and am just a bit tired.", Lincoln replied. Using the same excuse as the last time his mother asked him the same question a week ago.

His Mom gave him a look like she didn't believe him, Lincoln held eye contact. The last thing he wanted was his parents tossing over tables in the principals office for such a mundane thing, that'd be embarrassing. _It'd look like I can't handle the situation himself._ "At least you came before dinnertime. I am almost done Lana! And what have I told you? You can't just start building around the family car!"

"I did not 'build around' on Vanzilla!", Lana referenced the shabby family van, an old hand-me-down from Lincolns paternal grandfather. "I fixed it!", the blonde nine year old girl exclaimed angrily. Turning to Lincoln she added: "Lincoln! Do you want to see what I did with the leaking…"

"No! He doesn't!", Rita interrupted her daughter. "And you won't either! Up to your room until dinner is ready!"

"Ah, shit!"

"Lana! Language!"

"Sorry Mom!"

Lanas twin Lola just descended the staircase heading to the kitchen, she had dropped her princess outfit she used to walk around with 24/7 around the time she was seven but still pranced around in the most fashionable clothes, always dolled up like she was invited to gala. "Lana, you are disgusting!" She said passing by.

"Who cares, princess?" Lana retorted.

Lincoln already sneaked up the stair heading the hall down to his room before he'd be caught in the middle of the twins quarrel.

"Two for flinching!" Pain exploded in Lincolns left arm. Without making a conscious decision, anger and frustration the only thing on his mind, Lincoln swung around and pushed full force. Lynn tripped and crashed full force into the doorframe of her and Lucy's room with her right shoulder, giving a surprised yelp quickly followed by a hurt yelp. Lincoln took a step back in surprise of what he had done. _What have I done?_ , Lincoln thought as he stared down on his confused looking sister getting up on her feet.

"Lynn, I-", Lincoln wanted to apologise.

Lynn charged at her younger brother from her kneeling position letting out a scream and slamming him against the opposite wall of the hall, pressing the air out his lungs. While Lincoln was sliding down the wall she still pressed into him kneeing him in his legs and trying to get a punch in. Lincoln, despite being surprised as hell, was angry. As soon as his back hit the wall, something caved in inside of him and his pent up emotions broke through. Lincoln was pissed, he wanted to hurt. His body called for it: revenge! Pain for pain! He tried getting Lynns head into his armpit to know avail, it was clear that she would whoop his ass: she was more athletic and had more stamina, but that didn't matter to Lincoln: he wanted to get a punch in, one at least, no matter the toll.

The only thing that came from his attempts of getting his raging sister in a headlock was that her ponytail came loose. Lynn finally had Lincoln down on the floor sitting onto of him, her auburn hair hanging down like a baldachin, she managed to land a blow to his face right above his eyebrow. It hurt like fire. Lincoln convulsed like made straining all the muscles he had and managed to get in a punch to her cheekbone. Lynn didn't seem to notice and just kept on hitting. It was getting way to serious: Lincoln was on the defensive, Lynn through punches like a sowing machine down at him.

"What going on up there?", Lincoln heard his Mom call from downstairs, a miracle that the sounds of his blood cursing through his veins hadn't just drowned her voice out.

"It - is - all - your - fault!", Lynn shouted emphasising every word with a punch. "It - was - all - your - fault - from - the - beginning! - _You - are - bad - luck!_ "

Lincoln couldn't let that sit on him. "Oh, yeah? Unghh! That what you say because - umphf - nobody likes you!"

"Your - fault! Bad - Luck!"

"Dyke! I wish you were never born!"

Suddenly Lynn stopped hitting Lincoln. She lowered her fists and leaned back, looking down on her little brother beneath her, his fists still protecting his battered face. Lincoln couldn't decipher what her facial expression meant, but he knew he had crossed a line. A big, red line.

"Lynn! Leave your brother alone this instance!" Mom was standing at the top of the stairs looking with shock down the hall at the scene that had unfolded. She almost ran over, leaving Lynn enough time to get up from Lincoln and take a few steps back. Rita got on her knees next to Lincoln and looked worried at his face. "Lynn!", Mom screamed furious.

"Lincoln started! It wasn't me! Lincoln started! He hit me!", Lynn screamed back.

"Thats it! No supper!", Rita said to Lynn with determined resolution in her voice.

"Lincoln hit me! I didn't start!" Tears were welling up in Lynns eyes.

"She is right! I hit her.", Lincoln said. _What am I doing?_ He just couldn't help himself. Seeing _Lynn_ on the verge of tears, pained him more then any of her punches, okay maybe that wasn't exactly true, but he just couldn't help it. "I pushed her against the wall!"

Lincolns mom looked down at him, confusion, surprise, worry and anger mixing in her face.

"Lincoln you little faggot! Why do you have to be like this! Why do you always-"

 _Slap_

The slap was followed by almost absolute silence. It seemed like nobody, nothing moved except the tears flowing down Lynns cheek that reddened from the deafening slap that her mother gave her.

"In your room. Now. We will talk later.", Rita said, pointing to Lynns room.

Lynn said nothing as she turned around slowly, went into her room and silently closed the door.

"I hit her first."

* * *

Lincoln was lying awake in bed staring at the dark ceiling. The dark plane above him worked like a projector, his head spit out thoughts on that dark screen above him. He could't sleep, the movie his head was projecting was to gut wrenching to rest a single bit. The memories from after school just wouldn't go away: How he left the classroom as the last, took extra time on his locker, then wen't and hid behind the gym like an absolute pussy until he was sure the bus together with the Fernandezgang was gone. How he walked home self-pitying himself over his lack of balls, then the worst: how he, after lying to his mother, went upstairs and just tossed Lynn into a doorframe, because she did something that she did since forever. Because she wanted to complete her little ritual. 'Two for flinching', except he never flinched anymore. _I lost my shit over it. I can't stand up to some random asshat in my class, but I can let it out on my sister and let her get all the flack for it._ Lincoln cringed over his behaviour. _I am shit. A garbage human._

Something creaked on the hall in-front of Lincolns door. The bad memories disappeared from the dark ceiling as he turned in his bed catching a glance at his alarm clock. 02:46 a.m. Who could still be awake at this hour?

Lincolns breath stopped when his door opened up making quiet squeaky noises, the noise stopped and whoever stood outside of his room didn't move. It was to dark to even make out a clear shape. Suddenly the noise of socks on carpet. There were only two people in the whole household who wore socks when they went to bed: Lincoln himself and -

Lynn lifted his blanket and got into the his bed next to him. Lincoln couldn't see her, just feel her body heat, also she had a certain smell, like sweaty socks. It was Lynn alright. Lynn gently pushed him over the the wall, getting comfy next to him. Lincolns mind was racing. _What? Why? Lynn? Isn't she super pissed at me? Mom chewed her out despite me taking the blame!_ The sneaking suspicion that she just hopped under his blanket to give him the meanest dutch oven in history grew every second.

"Lynn-", Lincoln started to whisper.

"Pssshhhh!", Lynn whispered back. "I can't sleep."

Lincoln stopped short. After a second of hard thinking he whispered: "I also can't sleep."

Lynn grabbed Lincolns shoulder and turned him over, spooning him, a hand over his chest. Her warmth was radiating through their pyjamas against his back.

The clock showed 03:52 a.m. and both were snoring.

* * *

Leni got up the earliest of her sisters because of her job in the Royal Woods boutique. She yawned and stepped out into the hall, closing the door to the room that she had since the last year for herself, since Lori moved out. She closed the door so that Lori wouldn't wake up. Now that she was married she totes needed some beauty sleep. _I really need to check up on her and how things are going in Flint_ , Leni thought. _But I better let her sleep for now._ She smiled at the door.

Something caught the corner of Lenis eye. _Since when does Lincoln sleep with an open door?,_ Leni asked herself. _Was he already awake? Then who was laying in his bed?_ Her curiosity getting the better the 19 year old, slightly autistic girl, Leni tiptoed over to Lincolns opened door. Peeking in she saw a brown hairdo. A ponytail. _Lynn?_ The other head of white hair was a dead giveaway _. Why are Lincoln and Lynn sleeping in the same bed? Last time they this it was totes years ago!_ Her brother and sister were both snoring peacefully.

Leni seemed to get a sudden flash of inspiration. A creepy grin spread across her face as she quietly shut the door to Lincolns room. Who will ever know what went through Lenis brain at that moment?

* * *

"You are going to suck his dick, Zach!", Fernandez announced happily.

"Das rite", Barackeisha, an overweight black girl, with the worst dressing sense imaginable, from Lincolns class laughed. "You gon' succ his dick Zach!"

Yesterday Lincoln had been hiding here to avoid getting caught up in a provocation from Fernandez little gang, but what a twisted bitch irony is. There was no way to see what was going on behind the gym except you walked right behind it through some bushes and wet leaves. _Why did I have to act up like that?_ , Lincoln asked himself for the hundredth time this day. It all began in the cafeteria, second break. Lincoln had been sitting alone at a table as far away from the noisy table the gangs possible. He had watched as they tormented Zach who had become their personal gang-jester, forcing him to spray milk trough his nose and laughing like it was the funniest thing ever, and zach that motherfucker had been smiling the whole time the most miserable frozen smile that Lincoln had seen in his life. Lincoln couldn't bare to see this anymore and had silently got up. Walking by the gangs table he had done his best to not even look in their direction. He had stared down at his tray, but alas, his efforts had been in vain.

"Hey, Linky!", Fernandez had called him in a joyous voice. "Come over here and suck Zach 's dick! He been a good boy and needs a reward!"

Lincoln had froze and had turned to the bullies. They all had been smirking at Lincoln, but between all of them Zach just had looked to Lincoln cowardly, his eyes saying: 'Please just fucking kill me, make it stop.'. Milk had still been dripping out of Zach's nose. Thats when Lincoln had said the sentence that had brought him in this position: "Why don't you suck my dick?", Lincoln had said, looking directly at Fernandez.

A second later Lincoln had dropped his tray on the nearest table and was running for his life to the principals office. Not because he wanted to tell the principal that he was about to get massacred, but because he knew they wouldn't attack him there. During the rest of school everybody from Fernandez gang hadn't said a word, they just had been staring at him ominously from their seats in the classroom. After the last class, they simply had grabbed him when the teacher wasn't looking and dragged him and Zach behind the gym.

"I-i don't want to…?", Zach gently objected.

"Course you want to! You are our mega-faggot!", Tyrone insisted, grabbing Zach by his shoulders slowly forcing Zach to his knees.

"Do it for Lincoln! He wants you Zach! Can't you see the love in his eyes?", Fernandez jokingly said.

"Das rite!"

"Y-you _ack!_ guys are disgusting!", Lincoln grunted.

"Ahhh! Look at this gringo choke!", George Kurtz, a big fat white boy who dressed like a member of the blood-crips, said. What he didn't have in brain cells, George had in muscle cells. He was pressing Lincoln against the grey, concrete wall of the gym, his forearm firmly against Lincolns throat.

" _You_ wanted that Zach sucked your dick!", Fernandez said amused.

"I don't wan't to!", Zach whined.

"Yeah you do. You are our milk-slurp boy. Come on! Get Linkys dick-milk!"

"I don't want to!", Zach was getting louder as Tyrone forced him further on his knees. Fernandez facial expressions changed from a mask of false amusement to that of nearly controlled anger. "Zach. Listen to me you little _faggot_! You are gonna crawl over there, unzip Linky and succ like there is no tomorrow. You want to stay a good boy, don't you?"

Zach nodded, tears coming to his eyes as he looked up at Fernandez.

"And I want you too use your teeth, comprender?", Fernandez added.

"Well, well, well… what do we have here?", a deep voice boomed. Fernandez whole crew, eight people without Zach, turned their heads to their left in unison.

A group of six seniors was standing at the corner of the right side of the gym building. Two were holding cigarets in their hands. One of them was a tall, blond guy with short hair and with ragged bluejeans. He was the one who had spoken. He continued and walked directly at Fernandez gang, his own gang following. "Wetbacks and Niggers", he nodded in Georg Kurtz's direction. "And Wiggers not to forget, bullying a white kid. I don't like that." He stopped a few steps away from Fernandez who looked increasingly nervous. "I don't like that one bit.", the 12th grader put on his bent cigarette with a lighter. Fernandez took a step back, and just like that his whole gang was on the move to get away.

"Come on mega-faggot!", Tyrone said as he dragged Zach up and along with him.

Fernandez, seeing how he was losing control of the situation, took a few more steps back and said with wavering confidence in his voice: "My brother, Francisco is gonna kick your asses!"

"Sure thing, Jóse. Now get lost before we get the rope."

Fernandez, without even looking at Lincoln trotted away.

The ragged jeans guy exhaled the smoke of his cigarette before turning to Lincoln. Lincoln had been panting and rubbing his throat since George had moved his fat ass away from him.

"Hi, my name is Pete.", the ragged jeans guy said. "And you are?". Pete extended his hand and smiled at Lincoln.

* * *

Lynn was sitting on the edge of Lincolns bed. It was 6:55 a.m. The door to Lincolns door was closed when he had woken up. _Stange, I cant remember that Lynn closed it when she crawled into my bed last night._ If that were true, it would be fatal. What would the others think? It _was_ kind weird. And Lincoln still had no fucking clue why his sister with whom he beat himself with a few hours ago had suddenly just laid herself in his bed and hugged him the whole night. And why know she was just sitting there saying nothing, her back to Lincoln.

"I am sorry.", Lynn said calm and quiet.

Lincoln let that sink in for a minute.

"For what?", he finally asked, in the same hushed tone as Lynn. His other sisters were waking up after all.

"For hitting twice." Lynn jumped from the edge of his bed and opened the door.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Royal Woods, June 2022**

Time seemed to move fast like an arrow. _I just won't come! Nobody is gonna force me!_ , Lynn thought looking around the classroom. It was math and nobody was listening anyway. They were all just looking at their smartphones hidden in their laps and sometimes snickered. The snickering got to her. If she wouldn't come, they'd be snickering like that over her, she just knew it. Who is to say they weren't already laughing at her behind her back? This Monday she had asked Francisco out to the prom. It was the most embarrassing moment in her life as he just looked at her with indifferent eyes and said: "I am already going with María." Had he told anybody? _Fuck._ Every day prom was rushing up to her like a freight train in full motion. If she didn't ask quickly she'd be buried beneath it. _Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow is another day!_

"I keep overhearing them asking each other every other day! Even the fatso nerds have got dates! Lucy! _What should I do?_ ", Lynn was sitting on Lucys bed, squeezing her trusty old baseball all the while Lucy was lying in her pillows holding some dusty tome in her hands. "If something doesn't happen I'll end up the only one without a date!"

Despite keeping her mask of indifference like she always did, Lucy was in actuality very excited. "You just have to do it.", she said. "Its really not that hard, just go up to somebody who you know doesn't have a date and just ask them!" Lucy tried really hard not to let an excited grin creep on her face.

"I can't do that! No! No!", Lynn immediately replied, squeezing her baseball even harder. "I don't know who doesn't have a date yet! Do you even understand how embarrassing it is to get rejected by some random loser?" _I am already going with María._ Lynn cringed.

"Oh, yes.", Lucy said. "But who ever said love is easy?" A longing sound in her voice.

"This isn't about love! Godda - ähm - frikking shit!", Lynn exclaimed.

"Oh, but _everything_ is about love." Lucy was know biting her lower lip.

"Uhh- Lucy! This isn't one of your romance novels! This is about me being a loser when I'm the only girl without a partner!"

Fiddling around with her tome Lucy suggested: "You could just ask a sophomore or freshman, you know?"

"And be the absolute embarrassment? No thanks!"

"I assume many seniors are asking out girls from the grades below them?"

Lynn cringed again. Talking about this, cringing was actually the only thing she did. Lucy was right. And she even caught wind of a girl in her class asking out a freshman. "Guess you are right… but-but! I don't even know anybody from the other grades except Lincoln!"

"Isn't Lincoln buddies with some guys from 11th grade? Or, ohh!, even in your class?" Lynn could almost see Lucys brain swinging into full motion. "Why don't you ask Lincoln to play the matchmaker?", Lucy said leaning forward now showing a sly smile.

"Stop right there!", Lynn said grabbing Lucy's forehead and shoving her down into her pillows again. "I am not going with any of those assholes!"

"Hey! Let go of me!"

Lynn did and continued to squeeze her baseball. It was a miracle that it didn't come out of its seams.

"I know! Its that one guy that handed your ass to you in the karate club?", Lucy's teased.

"Shut up! You like pain or what?" Lynn raised her fist she was holding her baseball with like she was going to hit her younger sister.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"Anyway, I won't go! Ha I just won't go! Who needs that shit anyway."

"Thats something a 'fatso loser' would say… Oh wait even they got dates…"

"Then tell me what to do! Lucy! Please!"

"Are you begging me?" Lucy was smiling the biggest smile.

"Yes?" Lynn whimpered making doggy-eyes.

Lucy took a deep breath. "Okay, first: You have to get over your emotional barricade. I suggest reading some of my books-"

"Hell no! I am not reading even one of your erotic novels!"

"How do you know they are erotic?" Lucy put on her serious face again.

"Ähm- heh you let them lying- huh. Because…"

"Hah, virgin. Even grand grandma Harriet was more promiscuous than you." Lucys grin reappeared. Lynn didn't even wan't to know how Lucy could possibly know that.

"You are also a virgin! What makes you the expert? Spook?"

Grabbing underneath her bed, searching for her stash of books Lucy replied: "My books-"

"Oh, come on!"

"Why so shy?"

"Can we get back on track please?"

"Just ask somebody out. Thats all it is to it."

The way Lucy made it out to be it was the most simple thing in the world. But for Lynn it was like asking to not win at a board game. _I am already going with María._ Cringe.

"No! I am just not going!"

"Quitter."

* * *

"Your feet Lincoln!", Yeager shouted.

Lincoln was sweating like a motherfucker. The boxing headgear wasn't very comfortable and his shins hurt like shit from all the kicks he had caught with them. Lincoln threw a left jab, left jab, right hook - blocked. Dan threw a left jab, Lincoln evaded, a right kick to his thigh, Lincoln blocked with his shin, again. Dan's left jab got under his guard and sent him a step back his head ringing. Lincoln put his guard up but the following shovel hook got him folding up.

"Okay! Thats enough for one day boys!", Coach Yeager shouted.

"Eveving ovavy?", Dan said, his mouthpiece still between his teeth, leaning down to Lincoln.

Lincoln nodded and hooked his arm in Dans extended arm, getting to his feet and petting Dan on is shoulder with the glove, before turning around and walking off the mat.

"Lincoln! That was good!" Pete came over to Lincoln walking besides him to the bench. Pete also still had his gloves and headgear on. "If your footwork gets a little better you can take Dan out with a few jabs. Isn't that right Dan?", Pete called over to Dan.

Dan had already taken is mouthpiece out. "Fuck you!"

"Haha, you too. But for real Lincoln you are learning really fast." They both sat down on the bench at the wall in the big but shabby gym. Lincoln started to get out of his boxing gear, Pete also did.

"What are you doing later anyway?", Pete asked.

"Me?", Lincoln panted. "I am going to take a nice cold shower."

"Ohhh, I see you are talking _cold_ showers now, like a real man!"

Lincoln blushed. "Yeah. I do."

"Hey. Pete, Lincoln. See you guys tomorrow." Jonny, a broad 18 year old with short brown hair who was almost three heads taller than Lincoln, gave the two friends fist bumps. Before Jonny walked away Pete called after him: "Oh, do you already have a date for prom?"

Jonny continued waking towards the locker room. "I have."

Lincoln and Pete looked at each other with surprise. Jonny was the quiet type who never said much except the most necessary.

"Who is it?" Pete asked.

Jonny just waved it away and disappeared into the locker room.

"Some girl from his class? I have no idea." Pete continued taking off his gloves.

"I'd like to go to prom!" A lanky teenager who had his long dark hair in a man bun planted himself next to Lincoln on the bench. Arthur was a class above Lincoln, a sophomore and was in trouble all of the time, mainly because he couldn't shut his mouth. "I mean, if a girl asked me… You don't know any girls who don't have a date already, do you Pete?"

"No, I am dating all of them."

"Heh, good one." It wasn't. "Anyway this one guy in my class got asked. A fucking beaner! Can you believe that? Who'd even look at that mongrel when I am in the same room. Hello?"

"She probably thought you were a girl with that hair.", Lincoln said.

"Lincoln my man! And here I thought Dan had ripped your tongue out! Hey, no but do you know any senior girls who, you know, would appreciate my _masculinity_?"

Pete choked on his water bottle.

"No?", Lincoln replied.

Pete wiped of his chin. "Hey, but you sister, Lynn, she is in my class. Does she already have a date? I don't think so…"

"Would you do that for me, Lincoln? Ask your sister? I am tall, I wouldn't look out of place, come on!"

"Woho! Chill! I don't even know if she has a date!"

"And his sister is a tomboy. She'll crush your balls, or your skinny arms fo that matter." Pete added.

"Lincoln!" Coach Yeager, a short, sturdy bald man with arms and legs that looked like fat anacondas made out of pure muscle, walked up on the four teenagers sitting on the bench. The others were all in the locker room already. "You really need to work on your stance. A triangle! A triangle!" He stood in front of the boys with his hands on his hips. "Pete, you were really good at the exercise today. I expect nothing less. Arti, where do I even start?"

"I was -", Arthur interrupted the kickboxing vertan.

"Sometimes less is more. you understand, Arti?"

Arti nodded.

"But really Lincoln, you are good for just being with us a few months."

"Half a year!", Arthur interrupted again. Yeager shot him a face that made him shut up instantly.

"As I said, just concentrate on your footwork and you are going to be amazing."

"Yes, sir.", Lincoln said.

"Good. Now get out of here boys, its almost eight o'clock. Don't you have parents?"

"You are walking again Lincoln?", Pete asked.

"Its good exercise. And I just live a few streets away."

"Or you are just to poor for a bike.", Arti added. _That was true._

"Hey, there is no shame in that!", Pete said while he got on his old bike.

Lincoln got his old smartphone and his earbuds out. He was going to hear some music while he jogged home.

"Take care Lincoln." Pete said. "Hail victory!"

"Hail victory!", Arthur joined in.

"Hail victory." Lincoln said.

Pete and Arthur got on their bikes and drove off. Lincoln put his old earbuds in and started jogging in the opposite direction. He heard 'Behind Blue Eyes' from The Who, not the shitty Limp Bizkit cover, Lincoln thought back how Luna wen't on tirades every time someone played their cover. It was summer and the evening breeze was warm.

 _No one knows what it's like_

 _To be the bad man_

 _To be the sad man_

 _Behind blue eyes!_

* * *

"How was it, son?"

"Great, dad.", Lincoln answered his father who was standing in the kitchen, going through the cupboards. Lincoln took his earbuds out, 'Father and Son' by Cat Stevens was playing.

"I left some for you in the oven."

"Thanks, dad." Lincoln said. "But I think I am going to take a shower first." Lincoln moved towards the stairs.

"Lincoln." Lincoln stopped and looked at is father. His father was standing at counter looking at his sweaty son. "I am proud of you son."

"I am proud of you dad." Lincoln said before heading for the stairs.

"You are?", Dad called after Lincoln.

"Yup, number one dad!", Lincoln replied already on the stairs.

Dad was looking pretty down since he had lost his job at the 'Aloha Comrade'. Just working in a diner and washing dishes and taking orders was demanding to little from Lynn Sr. and the money wasn't great. It helped that Luna and Lori had moved out but money was still tight. Depressingly tight.

Lincoln went right to his room to put away his phone when he suddenly heard shouting coming from Lynns and Lucys room. "Have you lost your mind, Leni?"

The door was closed but despite that Lincoln could understand almost every word spoken. This was way to interesting to pass up. Lincoln leaned against the wall next to the closed door and eavesdropped.

"You are going to be totes the star of the prom! We just need to get you the fitting dress!"

"Do you even hear yourself talk?"

"Leni that is a little-"

"But you could go to prom-"

At this moment Lincoln opened the door. He had no idea why he didn't knock. He did it every time else. Maybe he'd just been to caught up in thought. Lynn was siting on Lucys bed. Lucy was hiding in her pillows, Leni was standing in the middle of the room and Luan was laying on the carpet inspecting a baseball bat from Lynn.

"You are crazy! You-", Lynn shouted, shocked she looked over to Lincoln and fell silent.

Leni hadn't noticed Lincoln bursting in and continued talking. "Why, there is nothing weird about! You and Lincoln are sleeping together totes every other week."

The silence that followed was deafening. Lincoln heart stopped as he looked not his sisters eyes and saw absolute shock.

Leni finally noticed Lincoln standing in the door. "Hi, Linky!", the blonde said smiling.

All eye were on Lincoln.

"Guys!", Lincoln started slowly. "I can explain everything."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Royal Woods, September 2027**

"Lincoln"

"Just a second, Mick." Lincoln fastend a bolt before rolling from under the car on his creeper. "Whats up?"

Mick, the owner of 'Micks Magnificent Repairs', a tall, skinny man with hollow cheeks who, like all of his employees, was wearing blue protective clothes was looming over Lincoln with a sad face. "I have to talk with you."

"Okay.", Lincoln replied slightly worried, getting up. He pushed the creeper under the car and started wiping the oil stains from his hands with a rag while following Mick to his office at the entrance of the assembly shop. _He isn't going to fire me? Is he?_ , Lincoln thought. _I am one of his best mechanics._

The assembly shop was very noisy. With six employees there was always something going on. Arti for instance was welding something on an old Hyundai letting sparks fly all over the place.

"Lana, you can also come.", Mick shouted over to his right.

Lincolns little sister walked over after putting away an oilcan and joined Mick and Lincoln. "What is up?", she asked. She was wearing a worn-out red MAGA cap like always.

"We'll talk about it in my office."

Lincoln had been at first very vocal against Lana dropping out of high school with only 14. But he had had to finally admit that her working was really more helpful for the family, besides what did schools today teach kids anyway? Everything she needed she already knew and self-taught anyways.

Lincoln closed the office door behind him, closing out the loud noises from the workshop. Mick gestured to the three free seats in front of his desk before taking seat behind the table. Lincoln and Lana obliged not before shooting each other nervous looks.

"I am cutting your salarys."

"What?", Lana asked perplexed.

Lincoln stayed silent.

"I am sorry guys! I have to! I am cutting everybody's salary!"

"How much?", Lincoln asked calmly.

"50 Dollars."

"Oh come on!", Lana exclaimed.

"I know, I know! The others were already so kind to kick my ass. But you guys know how tight money is. Either I fire someone or everybody gets a lower salary!"

"That 100 Dollars less for us!", Lana said angrily, throwing back her short, blonde ponytail.

"Listen, It's September, Lincoln you could make the money back Saturdays, cutting Christmas trees at Karls tree nursery."

Lincoln groaned.

"Listen,", Mick continued. "If the situation gets better, if winter this year brings snow and the winter tyres have to get put on, maybe I can give you all a raise."

"You better!", Lana remarked.

"I promise.", Mick said.

"I am going to check on Luna.", Lincoln said. Lana and him were walking out of 'Mick Magnificent Repairs' together with Arthur.

"We have 19 a.m.", Lana retorted. Looking up to her big brother. "Isn't it a bit late?"

"I haven't heard from her in a while and she isn't going on her phone."

"Maybe she is having a gig?", Arti threw in.

"Where? By the Mexicans? I don't think so.", Lincoln replied.

"True."

"Okay," Lincoln said. "Arti, take care of yourself." He gave his friend a handshake.

"You too."

"Lana." Lincoln reached for her cap and pulled it playfully down into her face.

"Hey!"

"I am home in an hour, max."

"Yeah, whatever. Stop treating me like a kid."

"But you are a kid!", Arti said laughingly. Lana gave him an annoyed glare.

"Greet Luna from me." Lana said.

"I will."

* * *

Luna lived with her boyfriend, and _girlfriend_ , in a trailer that stood in an unused plot of overgrown land at the far edge of Royal Woods. Lincoln had already told them a million times to move in somewhere, but that stupid pothead boyfriend of Luna was one stubborn motherfucker. How he'd wish to break his teeth in some day. And their disgusting three-way relationship with that Punk Sam, Lincoln couldn't stand it. _But who are you to talk?_ , a little voice in his mind reminded him.

There it stood in all its miserable glory. A white, run-down trailer covered in punk and rock accessories and faded posters. Grass was growing knee-high around the accommodation except the big clearing hat functioned as a fireplace in front of the door with a burned out barrel in the middle and cigaret-remains littering the compressed dirt floor. It stank.

Lincoln walked up to the trailer and knocked aggressively on the door. He really didn't like this place and he really didn't like Luna living in a place like this. Lincoln waited a good time. The only thing he heard from the inside was 20th century english rock music.

Just as Lincoln wanted to knock again, the door got swung open and a a shabby guy with unwashed blonde hair and a disgusting goatee opened up. He was wearing jeans and a dirty white T-shirt. As soon as Lunas boyfriend made out Lincoln staring at him with angry disapproval, she flashed him a nervous yellow toothed smile.

"Where is Luna, Jay?", Lincoln asked.

"Oh, hey! Linky! I mean Lincoln. How is it going, what are yo doing. You know… how is the family?" Jay pretended like he didn't even hear the question.

"Thats why I am here. How is Luna?"

"Good! Äh- hem. Well, I don't know she isn't here!", Jay replied nervously.

"Really?", Lincoln asked not believing a single word. "Then, where is she? I tried calling her but I can't reach her."

"She is, at- with…"

 _She's a Killer Queen, - Gunpowder, gelatine, - Dynamite with a laser beam,_ Freddie Mercury was singing over the stereo.

"Cut the crap, tell me where Luna is. Now."

"Wow, chill! I already told you she is…"

"And I told you to cut the crap!", Lincoln said. "LUNA!? YOU IN THERE?"

"Hey, bro she isn't in here! Hey!"

Lincoln had stepped towards the door and Jay tried to block him from entering.

"Hey, what?",Lincoln asked sarcastically. "You wanna stop me, bro?"

Jay was looking scared.

"Stop it, get out of my way." Luna said. Jay moved away from the door into the inside of the trailer letting Luna step into the doorframe. "Hey, bro." She said, she sounded tried and worn out.

Lincoln couldn't say a word, after a moment of silence he power walked towards her trying to get around her. "Hey, Lincoln! Lincoln!"

"I didn't do it! I did not!", Jay screeched from behind Luna.

Luna was holding Lincoln back and moved him away from the door to the fireplace clearing. "I am gonna mess you up you fucking piece of shit!", Lincoln screamed at Jay, showing him his fist. "I a gonna fucking kill you."

"Lincoln he didn't do it!"

 _When my fist clenches, crack it open - before I use it and loose my cool,_ Roger Daltrey was singing.

"It wasn't me!"

"Was it Sam or what? Who was it you fucking coward?"

"LINCOLN!", Luna screamed at her younger brother. Holding him back with both hands she looked him in the eyes. "It wasn't Jay." Her left eye was a sickening shade of purple, red and yellow. The black eye looked fresh.

"Then who did this?" Lincoln asked, still with raging madness in his voice.

"It wasn't me!", Jay called. Lincoln shot him a hateful glare.

"Lincoln, bro, listen. This has nothing to do with you. These are my personal problems and-"

"Who was it?", Lincoln asked insistently.

Luna took a deep breath. Her short dark brown hair looked unkempt and that annoying nose piercing that Lincoln hated on her was snot covered.

"It was Franciscos gang, Okay?"

Lincolns heartbeat slowed down to a trickle. "What do you have to do with the Beaners?", he asked calmly holding his sister by her elbows.

Luna squirmed for a bit before finally answering: "Drugs! Okay? They control almost every dealer on the streets! I am broke and have a debt! But don't worry, bro! I can pay it back! I can."

"Fucking shit! Fucking shit I can't believe it!", Lincoln shouted. "Jay this is your fucking fault! You fucking cuck, standing around while they beat your girlfriend? Run! Run, before I get you."

"Hey! Hey! I couldn't do nothing man! Believe me!"

"Lincoln! Lincoln! It was my fault! Do I look like a fucking kid to you? I can take responsibility myself!"

"Okay, so what? Take responsibility then. I know you guys are constantly broke. Thats what got you in this in the first place!"

"A few gigs, maybe I can -"

"What, and be the debt slave of that spic Fransisco? Thats not gonna happen! How much is it? The debt?"

Luna looked away. "Five hundred."

Lincoln hugged his sister, carefully not getting close to her left eye. He huffed angrily. _What had she been thinking?_ , Lincoln asked himself. _Jay and Sam are bad fucking company and only bring trouble_.

 _Wise man say, only fools rush in -_ Elvis Presley was singing over Lunas stereo system.

 _Who the fuck put that on?_ Lincoln suddenly became stiff like a week-old corpse. _But cards on its head mean the opposite. Things will get much worse_. Quickly Lincoln got out of the hug.

"I will make a deal with them.", Lincoln said to his sister in a mechanic sounding voice. Trying to ignore the song playing in the background. "With Francisco."

"No, I am going to pay-"

"I didn't say I'd pay him. I said I'll make a deal with him."

"What kind of deal?"

"I - can't tell you right now. Take care." Lincoln had already moved to the other side of the fireplace clearing. "And turn your phone on! I couldn't reach you. Lana says hi!"

Lincoln was running, not physically. He was running from a monster that nobody could ever outrun: it followed you, always one step behind. That monster was Lincolns memories. Memories that would never leave him.

* * *

TipFit was a betting office run by Mexican bookmakers, but much shadier dealings were going on in the back of the store on Main Street. Lincoln hated that place and the people in it, and knew that the feelings were mutual. He didn't know if he could keep it together. For Lunas sake, he didn't want to worsen the situation or escalate this into a gang war; the gang war last year with the blacks was worse enough.

Lincoln opened the glass door into the dimmed office hearing people talking loud in Spanish. The conversation immediately stopped as soon as the three Mexicans at the counter noticed Lincoln standing in the door. Lincoln took a few strides into the store.

"What do you wan't, Gringo?", one of the younger Mexicans asked trying to make a intimidating pose.

Before Lincoln could answer some called "Lincoln Loud. You old faggot." in a slow singsong.

Lincolns mood worsened even more if that was even possible as soon as he heard that voice, and his eyebrows inched a good amount downwards as soon as he saw the corresponding face. "Fernandez.", Lincoln simply said.

"You know this guy?", the young Mexican gang member asked Fernandez, who just walked past him, completely ignoring the question.

The slimy bald man behind the counter told the new recruit instead: "Weren't you at last months cage fight?"

"No, no lo hice."

"¡Aye, Pequeño bebé!"

Lincoln and Fernandez stared each other in the eye.

"Long time no see.", Fernandez said with a revolting smile on his face.

"I planned to keep it that way.", Lincoln replied.

"Lets go in the back, we can talk things over in peace, cause, I don't think you are here for a bet."

"I am not." Lincoln could barely control the anger in his voice. Hopefully nobody had seen him walk into this place.

The backroom was a smoking den with its own little minibar in the corner and bar stools standing around a high Mahagoni table. A few other mean looking Mexicans were sitting around putting away their phones as soon as Lincoln followed by Fernandez entered the room.

Fernandez closed the door. "Take a seat Lincoln.", Fernandez offered.

Lincoln took place opposite of Fernandez big brother, a burly guy wearing a black muscle shirt. Lincoln was clenching his jaw.

"Francisco - Lincoln. Lincoln - Franc-", Fernandez said, taking place next to his brother.

"I know, who he is.", Francisco interrupted his little brother. "And I also know why you are here."

"Oh, yeah, tell me why I am here." Anger swing in Lincolns voice.

"Because of your sister. Her dept."

"Oh, boy!" Fernandez said.

"I am not going to pay you guys." Lincoln said.

Fernandez laughed under his breath. "And I didn't expect you to."

"Everybody knows that your ass is broke.", Fernandez chimed in.

"You are going to do something much better. You are going to lose. Next month. Fourth round, against our man. The dept gets paid and you get a hundred bucks", Francisco said leaning forward.

"Lincoln, you poor faggot!" Fernandez interrupted again. "Losing fourth round! Who will ever suspect such a weak performance from you? Ha!"

Lincoln was getting fed up with Fernandez. Turning to him he said: "You sure talk a lot about faggots. Do we have to be worried?"

Fernandez face went serious from one second to the other. He quickly leaned forward, a furious look on his face. "Say that again asshole.", he dared Lincoln.

Lincoln wasn't impressed. "You sure talk a whole lot about faggots."

Fernandez leaned back, the cynical smile he always had on his face returned. "Hermano, I don't trust him.", Fernandez said to his older brother who was just looking at him questioning. "I don't think he will go down in the fourth round." A very mean flash went through his eyes. "Lincoln why don't you swear. Swear to us… on the grave of your dead mother."

Maybe Lincoln would really loose his cool.


End file.
